A cruise easily provides opportunities for both, and in doing so allows passengers to enjoy a vacation of almost any style they’d like: emphasizing either time on the ship, time on shore excursions, or a combination of both.

Aside from pure relaxation, one thing that makes these ships so much fun is that they tend to offer a lot of activities.

Some of these are fairly standard. A majority of cruise ships have casinos, arcades, live shows, ping-pong, vast pool areas and a plethora of eateries and bars. But some ships have some more unique attractions, and we’ve rounded up five of the best.

SkyRide (Carnival Vista)

This is arguably the most unique attraction you’ll find on a cruise ship, and makes for an extremely original experience.

You’re simply pedaling through the sky above the deck as others go about their business laying on sun loungers, jumping in the pool, or drinking at the pool bar, and at certain points along the track you venture out almost over the water on the side of the ship.

Really, not many on board attractions amount to reasons to book a particular ship, but this one comes close.

The rock wall on this ship is quite something. It’s a large outdoor wall that sticks up high enough to offer incredible views of the surrounding seas, or indeed Dubai Cruise Terminal if you do it during a port day.

The only drawback is that not too many people can be on the wall at the same time, but it happens to be in close proximity to other recreational options like a basketball court and a waterslide.

Professional Golf Simulator(Dawn Princess)

In terms of first appearances, this is the simplest attraction on the list. But it might also be the most popular.

And just like the racetrack on the Norwegian Joy, this and other ship golf simulators can benefit from interest in the professional sport. During the summer and fall when a lot of people are booking cruises there are several major golf tournaments.

That’s an entire summer’s worth of pro tournaments to get countless cruise passengers in the mood for golf, which makes the simulator on the Dawn Princess a ton of fun.

While some other ships have more limited sims, this one captures 18 different real courses around the world, making for virtually endless fun if that’s how you want to spend your time on board.

Ropes Course(Norwegian Breakaway)

Like Royal Caribbean’s Jewel Of The Seas rock wall, and the SkyRide on Carnival Vista, the ropes course on the Norwegian Breakaway takes you up into the air over the top deck, such that you can see quite a bit around you, and even feel like you’re suspended out over the water.

It’s not a massive course, but the fact that it’s out over the side of the deck over the water makes it that much more thrilling.